Region's largest employers 2022

Initially, the COVID 19 pandemic appeared to be a job killer. Some industries such as hospitality and travel were battered as fewer people traveled, as dining out morphed into dining at home. Other sectors like health care saw increased demand for workers and their skills, but the frontline nature of such work triggered burnout and fear in some — further straining the industry’s supply of potential employees.

The Post-Gazette contacted dozens of the biggest employers in the southwestern Pennsylvania region to get the numbers on how many people they have on the payroll here. No surprise that Pittsburgh’s health care giant UPMC takes the lead on the list, but companies such as PNC, a bank that continues to grow nationally, and PPG, one of the world’s largest coatings producers, are still writing paychecks for thousands of people in the area.

These companies often employ thousands more people in other parts of the state, the country or even the world, an indication that Pittsburgh’s reach continues to extend far beyond the hills of Western Pennsylvania.